


sit at our table (play us a tune)

by dimthestars



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Cooking, Food, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Music
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:20:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25377559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dimthestars/pseuds/dimthestars
Summary: Grace and Vanya bond over cooking in a way that none of the others did.
Relationships: Grace Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves
Comments: 4
Kudos: 31
Collections: Eat Drink and Make Merry 2020





	sit at our table (play us a tune)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheseusInTheMaze](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheseusInTheMaze/gifts).



Before Grace came into their lives, Vanya didn't actually care much about food. She ate, their father wouldn't have it any other way, but she didn't savor it, didn't revel in flavors and think much of cooking or feeding other people. There was no talent to it, no artistry, at least she thought as much.

It wasn't a gift, or a blessing, just an obligation that had to be taken care of over and over again.

Grace taught her that there is skill to creating food, a care in cooking that was worth acknowledging and even respecting. She made Vanya see the beauty in it, even though she hadn't been aware she needed to learn such a lesson.

None of them knew how to cook, not really, but Grace was willing to teach any of them if they were willing to learn.

Vanya, to her own surprise, found herself interested in learning.

She couldn't help the Umbrella Academy, she wasn't allowed to go with them, to be a part of the family in this way (or any way really), and they held her at arms length because of it. Except when she offered food to them. 

Grace helped her with that, taught her how to suss out what everyone liked or needed, taught her how to use a knife and balance flavors and even how to figure out what each of her siblings liked, so she could help prepare it for them and offer it on their return.

Grace held her hand as she showed Vanya how to slice up a tomato, or how to cut the fat off meat. She showed her what it meant to put your heart into food, even though Vanya felt no kindness towards her siblings after a certain time in her life.

Or at least, she wasn't willing to show them such weakness, such tender parts of herself, in any way that extended beyond the dinner table.

But she could feed them, each one of them. She could work with Grace to prepare meals after missions, to make sure there were secret delectable things hidden away for them when times were hard with their father or each other. She taught herself that, even though she may not be able to claim she loved her family, she could still give them something good, something that only she and their mother could offer.

Vanya remembered how proud Grace was of her every time she mastered something, not just in her music but in the kitchen as well. Vanya's heart would swell with pride, her smile bright and beaming when she would be praised for her hard work.

She loved those moments between the two of them, those times when everyone was gone, everything still except for Grace, Vanya, and the occasional sounds of music that would be put on the radio, just one more small thing that made those moments special.

Vanya sometimes thought, if it weren't for Grace, if it weren't for those stolen moments and kind encouragement, she would not have become a musician, she would not have become anything at all.

Not that anyone else saw her as much of anything, but she knew her mom was proud of her, knew she saw something in Vanya that no one, not even their father saw in her.

Even as an adult, after all of them had left, after she thought she wouldn't see her again, Vanya knew she carried those skills, that gift she had been given. She was not a chef, she was not skilled enough to work in a kitchen, but she knew how to make food people enjoyed.

She wished, though, that she could have given Grace something in return, could have made her a meal she enjoyed as much as Vanya would have enjoyed making it for her. Of course, she held no illusions, knew Grace was not human, yet she was still a person, still someone who deserved to revel in food, if only once.

She never did figure out what meal she could have given her, even as she thought about it late at night and while the others were off being the Umbrella Academy.

Grace had told her once that Vanya's smile was enough, that while she didn't taste things like everyone else, she enjoyed every moment of happiness she shared with her

Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, Vanya wrote those words down, tucked them away somewhere secret and decided that, if she couldn't make her mother something to eat, she'd do her best to give her a different sort of thing to savor.

Vanya wrote a piece of music over the next several weeks and, one night when the others were on a mission, she invited Grace to dinner.

She was fourteen then, her skills not as good as they would be when she left, but she knew, in her heart of hearts, that she wanted to do this.

Grace prepared the meal as Vanya played, and when she's done, as the food was coming out of the oven, she looked up, her eyes wide, expression hopeful.

Grace applauded, smiling wide and told her with a bright smile how wonderful she was, how she was so proud of her.

"I wrote it for you," Vanya told her, almost nervous to admit that she'd created the piece herself but more than that, wanting Grace to know how much Vanya cared, how badly she wanted to give her something.

"It was absolutely delicious, dear." Grace replied, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to Vanya's cheek. "Thank you so, so much."


End file.
